"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

The town had a Clerk during election year. As always, the clerk was Elections Officer.

The CAO was in place until about a year ago. How time flies!

The town solicitor did not return from his recent honeymoon. His absence was not noted until

remarked upon.

It's interesting to watch things evolve.

The CAO appointed during Mormac years came to us from the position of manager of statistics in the office of the Region's CAO.

The first and second budget after the appointment included $75,000. for "Education"

In 2013 , a consultant was retained to report on town service levels. The report concluded costs

were higher than comparator municipalities because quality of service was higher.

However, the town could achieve savings by reducing the number of Directors by one.

A short time later the deed was done. At Christmas,the Director of Corporate Services was terminated He had a year left until retirement. It was election year. The settlement would assuredly be no less than a year's salary.

A town solicitor previously terminated for cause received a year's salary as settlement, on advice of the treasurer.

The Municipal Act requires the Statutary Office of Clerk be established.

The Resoonsibility for Corporate Services was transferred to Town Solicitor . A Town Clerk appointed by bylaw, was made subject to the authority of the Town solicitor .

In the first year of the current term, the CAO obtained a Certificate from the Schulich School of

Business at York University , at cost of $15,000. Almost concurrently, he accepted the position of CAO of the Town of Richmond Hill at a salary of $260,000.

The Certificate was specifically mentioned by the Mayor of Richmond Hill as a particular asset. No credit accorded to the Town of Aurora as supplier of said Certificate for the benefit of RH.

It's nice how the boys work these things out among themselves.

The latest change is the quiet exit of the Town Solicitor/ Director of Corporate Services.

I guess a couple of years was a long enough trial to determine efficacy or lack thereof of combining both responsibilities.

I pondered aloud once about the potential of a legal department with one solicitor.

The idea was greeted with horror by the same official who later recommended legal

and corporate services become one.

Now position of Town Solicitor/ Director of Corporate Services is no more.

The replacement might be interesting.

How many town solicitors hold dual credentials of Director of Corporate Services?

Even so, what salary would such a wizard command?

During the previous CAO's time, the town spent $12,000. a year on membership in the Canadian Institute of Excellence. Framed certificates were received to hang on a wall.

Maybe they know of a law school that produces such a hybrid.

BTW, when winter road services are contracted out, less snow to clear does not mean less cost.

4 comments:

If he lived in town, his absence would have been noticed beyond the town hall. It's what we get for importing staff. The former CAOwould have had a policy to keep staff quiet about such happenings. I guess this one is the same.

If the solicitor is the one of whom I am thinking, he was very goof even if I did not always agree with him. Just dropping out like that indicates a problem for that " Team " stuff which always struck me as bogus and artificial.